Nunatak Alpinist

Average Rating3.75 / 5 (4 reviews)

I ordered a (Custom) Alpinist Mummy bag in January. I wanted a lighter bag then my WM Superlite- that's why I went with a CUSTOM bag!! Tom told me it would come in at 27 to 28oz-I thought great.. I e-mailed Tom several times and it took any where up 4-6 business days for Tom to get back with me- I think that is unacceptable if I am paying a lot$$ for a custom bag.

The Alpinist came in at 30.6 oz that's not what I payed for I think?!?! The bag is already shedding or emptying a lot of down already.. I can live with a few extra ounces..My biggest problem was how he said it would come it at 27-28 oz and it DID not!!! and for the price of $574.00 I did not even get complimentary stuff or storage bag..the bag just came by itself in Priority mail bag.I thought I ordered a custom bag!! Tom told me he would send a stuff sack to me and that he was sorry--It has ben 8 business days since he said that. I am not a happy customer at all...I know Nunatak has a great reputation on this website-I did a lot of research on this website before ordering my Alpinst-- I should of just ordered from WESTERN MOUNTAINEERING!! I will give a review of the bag in a few weeks I hope it is better then the CUTOMER SERVICE!!! (N0 High Five)

I don't doubt what the other reviewers have said, and I'd be upset at not getting what I expected after paying custom prices. My experience has been just the opposite, however. I have several years' experience with Nunatak, having ordered a sleeping quilt, sweater, vest, and booties, and considered a couple of other purchases. After receiving my Skaha sweater my review for Backpackgeartest.org concluded with " A minor irritant is perhaps a necessary corollary of dealing with a small business run by outdoorsmen: It was occasionally difficult to contact Nunatak. Several emails were never answered and a couple of phone calls not returned for several days. I suspect that Tom and friends were outside doing their own field testing. The quality of customer service and the personal attention I received, however, more than made up for this." This has proven true with my subsequent inquiries too, and I now believe it's simply a consequence of a small, owner-run business that for all practical purposes turns out bespoke products. Nunatak advertises a long lead time, and a few days' delay in an email response doesn't bother me much. And Tom (and his colleagues) have responded immediately when I needed something quickly - a vest purchased from the "specials" page just before starting a weeklong trip. Every piece I've purchased has been great (and right in line with webpage listings and the specs Tom has provided), well worth the wait (and the wait wasn't longer than expected)and premium price. Straight talk, too, Tom talked me out of a purchase with a description of weight-saving efforts that in my opinion would compromise performance. So I give this company top marks for customer service. Yes, it's not like dealing with Patagonia or REI, but for what it is and what it provides it can't be beat.

I've really enjoyed dealing with them, and wouldn't hesitate to buy more gear (Skaka Vest is on order!). I wouldn't say their weights are entirely predictable, my Skaha and Ghost were heavier than the listed weight. I can see that this might irritate some. But I haven't minded because I haven't minded because there is simply zero wasted weight in their gear. All it means is that it's going to be warmer, there's no variety in the shell weight. I'm sure I could have sent it back to get less fill to match the spec, but it just means it won't be as warm.

If you really aren't happy with something, Nunatak will make it right for you. I originally ordered my Skaha Plus in the wrong size (size S instead of M), and also got the sleeve length wrong. Tom told me to send it back and they made another one for me, despite both being my error, which I was very grateful for.

Gear can take a *long* time to turn up, esp at busy times. Order a season ahead. I think they're up front enough about this though. Email replies can sometimes take a day or two, but have always arrived and been helpful and informative.

They will also do modifications on gear, after a year of use, I'm getting extra-extra overfill added to my Alpinist to push it as far into winter as possible.